Romeo and Juliet Acts III and IV; Terra Nova

We continue our rather brief but intense examination of Romeo and Juliet by looking into the pivotal third act and then the brief (if you can call it that) respite of Act IV.
Students can get the new planner, as well as the Act III study questions, which are due on Tuesday, April 1st (sorry, no April Fool on this one).
Wednesday is a half day, and Act IV will be due on Thursday, April 3rd.
Root Test #7 is on Friday, April 4th.

Parents (and students): An advisory concerning the upcoming Terra Nova and AIMS Science test will be on the main dothblog page.

Romeo and Juliet Acts I and II

We are taking a different approach with Romeo and Juliet. There is an emphasis on literary terms and finding examples of those terms in the text. You will be reading several literary analysis essays reflecting different aspects of the novel, written by scholars and giving you a flavor of what you will be able to add to your future discourses.
Act I is due Wednesday (you are responsible for seven of the ten quotes)
Act II is due Friday: You will have vocab and quotes, plus a reflection essay on the balcony scene that you need to read and highlight for Friday's discussion.
Thursday, you will be doing an in-class reading on Mercutio's character.
Root List #7 is also now available. That test is scheduled in the planner.
Please check out the planner for a look at the rest of the school year!

Romeo and Juliet (Condensed) Begins

We will start a rather quick evaluation of Romeo and Juliet upon our return Monday.
Students who have not read R and J will need to begin reading as soon as possible. Those who have still need to read it, because we are going to be looking at different nuances of this play in regards to Shakesperian tragedy and what to look for in future readings with Shakespeare.
Students may get the No Fear version (although I will not be using it on quote tests) to help with their reading.

The Act I study guide is available. We will be discussing Act I on Wednesday and Act II on Friday. The schedule for Act III, IV and V will be based on timing due to testing next week.

Animal Farm Movie vs. Book

Students:
Please comment (respectfully, cleanly, etc) on the comparisons and contrasts between the book and the movie.
Especially discuss the use of television and also the ending of the movie.
You have from now until around 7:30, 8 pm tomorrow to either discuss comments here or during class discussion time on Thursday.

Last Week before Spring Break

There may not be a planner this week, so here is the tentative schedule:
Monday: Discussion of Animal Farm Chapters 6-9
Tuesday: Completion of Animal Farm movie; Assignment for Thursday: comparison/contrast of the film and the book (details to come)
Wednesday: Hearing Tests
Thursday: Turn in comparison/contrast of movie and book; Advertising power point
Friday: Advertising mini-lesson
Then: Spring Break!

Animal Farm Persuasive "Mini" Assignment

Animal Farm Assignment (Chapters 1-9)
Due Friday, March 7th, 2008

1) In one paragraph, defend Napoleon’s actions. Use any rhetorical strategy necessary to achieve this goal. You must use clear information from the text to support your arguments.

2) In one paragraph detail what it would have taken for Animal Farm to be successful (that is, the animals achieving at least a decent to high degree of equality). Please use evidence from the book and also reinforce with any ideas in history and/or government.

Your paragraphs must be at least 9-11 sentences long. Do not merge the two paragraphs. You will do this in place of the dialectical journal for Friday. Be prepared to argue your points in class on Friday. This must be completed on Friday to achieve full credit. If you feel you need to add more information, expand your paragraph up to 13 sentences.